Bipolar electrosurgical instruments include bipolar shears, bipolar forceps and bipolar cutting forceps. Bipolar shears are generally used to cut tissue and are not generally useful for grasping or manipulating tissue. In bipolar-shears, wherein the tissue between the blades and distal to the cutting point is cauterized as the blades are closed. Bipolar forceps are generally used to grasp, manipulate and cauterize tissue. However, bipolar forceps are not generally useful for cutting tissue. Bipolar forceps are generally used for grasping, manipulating, cutting and coagulating tissue. In most bipolar forceps, a knife or cutting element is disposed between two opposing jaws which grasp tissue and act as electrodes. In conventional bipolar forceps the operator may cauterize the tissue between the jaws prior to cutting the tissue with a knife or other cutting element. Thus, in such bipolar forceps, the region cauterized is generally larger than the region cauterized using bipolar shears.
It would, therefore, be advantageous to design a bipolar electrosurgical instrument wherein the region of cauterization may be limited as in bipolar shears or enlarged as in bipolar forceps. It would further be advantageous to design such an instrument wherein the end effector is adapted to cut tissue either before, during or after cauterizing the tissue. It would further be advantageous to design such and instrument wherein the instrument may be used to grasp and manipulate tissue. Finally, it would be advantageous to design such an instrument for use in endoscopic and other minimally invasive surgical procedures.